Long-time Secaucus town engineer and former executive Vice President of the PMK Group Gerald Perricone died suddenly April 19 due to complications from rotator cuff surgery. He was 58 years old. The exact cause of his death is still being looked into, according to sources.

“He was very good to his community, his friends, and those he worked with,” said Town Administrator David Drumeler. Drumeler, whose friendship with Perricone dates back 15 years, worked with him at both the county and local level.

Perricone handled many local projects both as town engineer and through his firm. He specifically helped the town on the Keystone Plant environmental clean-up.

“His firm PMK did things with the Keystone site that hadn’t been done before,” said former Mayor Dennis Elwell. “He was the one that suggested injecting peroxide into the soil” to mitigate the land. Elwell said that as a result Perricone received hundreds of thousands in grant money for the Keystone project to perform that procedure.

New Jersey Senators Frank R. Lautenberg and Robert Menendez announced April 19 that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $20 million for Amtrak to continue work on the Gateway Tunnel project as part of the FY 2013 THUD appropriations bill.

The bill must now be approved by the full Senate.

A major state-funded project, the $8.7 billion Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) tunnel was canceled by Gov. Christopher Christie in late 2010. Christie blamed cost overruns and the expense in general. The project has since been taken over by Amtrak and renamed “The Gateway Tunnel.”

“The Gateway Tunnel is critical to addressing our state’s transportation crisis, and I will continue working to secure federal funds to advance the project,” said Lautenberg. “A new trans-Hudson tunnel would dramatically increase access to commuter trains for a growing population of transit riders, and help to break the gridlock on our congested roads. I am proud to work with Amtrak on a new rail tunnel that will create jobs, provide sustainable transportation options, and improve high-speed rail in New Jersey and the Northeast Corridor.”

In November 2011, Congress approved an initial $15 million for Amtrak to begin design and engineering work on the Gateway Tunnel project. This additional $20 million would be used to continue working on the project, according to a release from Launteberg’s office.

The Gateway Project is expected to increase NJ Transit commuter rail capacity into New York by 65 percent, the release says.

Dinosaurs arrive in Secaucus

Secaucus is being transformed into its very own Jurassic Park beginning April 25 with the arrival of 31 dinosaurs at Field Station: Dinosaurs. The dinosaurs, some up to 90’ long, were unpacked and assembled for the park, which is adjacent to Laurel Hill Park.

The outdoor attraction, which takes children back to the prehistoric age, will debut over Memorial Day weekend, although school groups may visit earlier. From Memorial Day until the end of the school year, they are only open on the weekends. After school lets out the park will open rain or shine every day until Labor Day. After Labor Day the park returns to a weekend schedule for the public.

The park targets kids ages 3 to 11 and is more like a zoo with dinosaurs than an amusement attraction. Children are treated as scientists on an expedition. They get credentials instead of tickets upon arrival.

The park includes a Dinosaur Dig Site, games like Dinosaur “Family Feud,” family Olympics, and workshops.

Children and families will learn important lessons about the world through the story and science of dinosaurs.

Meadowlands Hospital plans 2nd Annual 5K Walk/Run

Meadowlands Hospital will conduct their 2nd Annual Walk/Run on June 24. All proceeds will go to the Meadowlands Hospital Foundation which assists uninsured or underinsured patients. Early registration is $25 and $30 on the day of the event. Check-in begins at 7:30 a.m. The Walk/Run starts promptly at 9 a.m.

The course runs south from Meadowlands Hospital on Meadowlands Parkway onto Castle Road and back to Meadowlands Hospital.

Trophies will be awarded in several different categories in several age groups. Light refreshments will also be included.

For registration information, please log on to www.runsignup.com and keyword “Meadowlands Hospital” or call the MHMC Community Services Department at: (201) 392-3397.

Book Signing at the library

Authors Linda Burns and Ashley Burns will be at the Secaucus Public Library and Business Resource Center at 7 p.m. on May 1 to discuss their book “Beating the Odds at Autism—One Family’s Winning Hand.” According to the authors, the book is their family’s personal journey with autism and covers their search to find a diagnosis. Books will be available for purchase. To register, call: (201) 330-2083.

Former resident Jon D’Amore debuts his first novel

Former resident Jon D’Amore, now a California based screenwriter, will debut his first novel “The Boss Always Sits in the Back,” at the Secaucus Public Library and Business Resource Center on May 16 at 7 p.m. The event is free but seating is limited and registration is required. To register, call: (201) 330-2083.

May movies at the Secaucus Public Library on most Tuesdays, beginning at 1 p.m.

On May 6, at 1:00 p.m. join the Meadowlands Commission’s Jim Wright on a 90-minute bird walk at DeKorte Park during prime time for migration. Look for warblers, shorebirds, hawks, ducks and more – maybe even a Bald Eagle. Wright keeps the NJMC’s popular nature blog, writes birding columns for local newspapers, and helps lead twice-monthly guided walks with the Bergen County Audubon Society. The cost is $5 per person; $4 for MEC members. Meadowlands Environment Center, 2 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst. For more info, call: (201) 460-8300 or visit: njmeadowlands.gov/ec.